Spa covers are conventionally used to cover the open end of a spa or whirlpool to prevent people or foreign objects such as debris from falling into the water of the spa when the spa is not in use. The spa cover also is conventionally used to insulate the water of spa to reduce the loss of heat from the water.
Conventional spa covers can be bulky and can have a thick construction to provide insulating properties and save energy by retaining heat in the water of the spa. Further, because spas can be relatively large, the spa cover required to cover a large spa can be quite large. Thus, conventional spa covers can be heavy and difficult for an individual to manually remove from the opening of the spa prior to use or to replace over the spa after use. Difficulty in removing the spa cover can be particularly problematic for users who have limited strength and/or mobility. Improperly moving the spa cover from the opening of the spa or storage of the spa cover can result in damage to the spa cover and/or the spa.
Accordingly, it is desirable for users to have a spa cover lifter to automatically remove the spa cover and position the spa cover in a convenient open position so that the user has access to the water of the spa. Further it is desirable for the spa cover lifter to automatically return the spa cover to a closed position to cover the opening of the spa when the user has completed use of the spa.